Liverpool hero: Reds did not blow title

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge doesn’t believe that his old team blew their chance of winning a first ever Premier League title, although he says naivety cost them.

The Reds were in pole position with just three games to go, before a costly defeat at home to Chelsea and a shock 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace – a game they led by three goals – handed the momentum to Manchester City.

The Sky Blues went on to win their fixtures in hand and take the title by two points, which has been met by great amounts of disappointment in some sections of Merseyside.

Prior to the loss against Jose Mourinho’s Blues, Liverpool had been on a fantastic 11-game winning run, during which time they’d beaten the likes of City, Manchester United and Tottenham with a series of impressive displays.

Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge says that he’s proud of his former side and that he does not feel they bottled it late on to lose out on the title:

“Liverpool didn’t throw the title away.

“What we did in the last 14 games of the season was unbelievable. To win 12, draw one and lose one and come second just shows just difficult it is to win the Premier League.

“We were up against a top quality team which has been put together with a ridiculous amount of money. We pushed Manchester City all the way We put ourselves in a position none of us thought was possible by winning 11 on the bounce.

“We took 37 points out of the last 42 – that’s not blowing it.

“What cost us in the end? Probably a bit of naivety, a lack of depth and some bad luck.”